Patagonia: Torres del Paine W Circuit + Penguins

When you land in Punta Arenas, your driver will pick you up and take you to your hotel downtown. 

• Meals: None
• Accommodation: Hotel Cabo de Hornos or similar
• Total Driving Time: Approx. 20 minutes

This morning your guide and driver will meet you early at your hotel, and together you'll drive south of Punta Arenas about 52 km to the Parque del Estrecho de Magallanes (Park of the Strait of Magellan) where Fort Bulnes is located. It is a reconstruction of the first settlements in 1843 when the Chilean government decided to take possession of the Strait of Magellan and establish sovereignty (the first stronghold of Chile, and the region). You will be transported back to the 19th century, reliving the efforts and sacrifices of the first settlers who arrived in this inhospitable and wild land.

In addition to its historical heritage, Parque del Estrecho is located in a breathtaking position along the cliffs and bays of the tip of the South American continent. We will explore two trails along the coast, immersing ourselves in the soul-embracing beauty of the end of the world. From here, you can see the snow-capped mountains of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago rising from the crisp, blue waters to the south, and feel the famous wild winds of Southern Patagonia.

After our outdoor explorations, we'll head inside to the park's café overlooking the cove where the first boat came ashore, perhaps we'll even see whales from the gorgeous bay windows as we warm up over hot chocolate and a light lunch.

Next up - beer time! This afternoon we'll head to the famous Austral Brewery, which was founded in 1896 by José Fischer, a German master brewer, who arrived in Punta Arenas with the goal of establishing the country's first brewery. With this dream in mind, José founded "Cervecería La Patagona", currently known as Cervecería Austral, the southernmost brewery in the world.

The brewery has been located in the same place since its founding year, however, the city grew and grew around it, placing it in the middle of Punta Arenas and marking Austral as a symbol for the city and the region. We'll taste a variety of their beers, such as: Lager, Calafate, Patagona 508, Yagán, Rhubarb, and Torres del Paine, which was awarded by the World Beer Awards as the best beer in its Helles Bock category. Salud!

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner (Lunch at the cafe is up to your appetite for this first day!)
• Accommodation: Hotel Cabo de Hornos or similar
• Total Driving Time: Approx. 2 hours

Today we head out early, because we can't wait any longer to see penguins! Our private transfer will take us north of Punta Arenas about 25 km, and there we will get on a boat (along with other groups) bound for Magdalena and Marta Islands.

Magdalena Island welcomes more than 60,000 penguins every year, and Marta Island is home to more than 1,500 sea lions. We start this unique adventure at Bahía Laredo where we'll board our speedboat. The ride to Magdalena Island takes about 45 minutes, and there we disembark for a 1-hour walk around the island. Our guide along with our boat guides join us for this walk among the natural habitat of the Magellanic Penguins. This is one of the largest colonies in South America. After getting up close and personal with penguins all along our walk, we then go back to the boat and continue our journey to Marta Island to see Sea Lions (weather permitting), imperial cormorants, and hundreds of southern seagulls. If we're lucky, we may even spot an Elephant Seal, Southern Dolphins, Overas Dolphins, and Sei Whales!

At the end of the boat tour, we'll head back to the dock and load up in our private transfer to begin our journey north to Torres del Paine National Park. Along the way, we'll pass through Puerto Natales, located on the Ultima Esperanza Sound, before heading the rest of the way to the park where our cozy hotel and dinner awaits.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel Las Torres
• Total Driving Time: Approx. 5 hours

We'll start our trek with the most iconic hike of the park - to the base of the Towers. Our hike begins with a steep ascent underneath the hanging glacier of Almirante Nieto (8,700 ft) with beautiful views of lake Nordenskjöld. After about an hour and a half we reach Refugio El Chileno, where we will have access to bathrooms. We will be able to refill water bottles along the trail, which continues through a beech forest (1 hour) to the base of the moraine, where we'll find one more challenging ascent (45 min) to the base of the towers. This lookout “Mirador Base Torres” or “Base of Torres del Paine” is one of the most impressive in the park. From here we can see Torre Sur (9,350 ft), Torre Central (9,200 ft), Torre Norte (8,530 ft), Cerro Nido de Cóndor, and the glacial lake that lies below. We will return the same way we came up and enjoy dinner at the hotel.

• Activity: 9 hours of hiking – 18 km/12 miles – elevation gain: 800 m/ 2625 ft
• Meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel Las Torres

Today we get to hike through a valley that few people even know exist within the park: Bader Valley. To fully experience the beauty of Bader Valley, we must begin our hike early in the morning from Hotel Las Torres. This hidden gem of a valley is situated parallel to the well-known French Valley, within the Torres del Paine W Circuit, yet tucked away from the hustle and bustle of popular tourist spots.

Bader Valley offers a breathtaking amphitheater of towering granite peaks nestled between the majestic Los Cuernos and Almirante Nieto mountains. As we hike, the immense vertical walls surrounding us will make us feel small in comparison. We begin this adventure by following a trail along the shores of Nordenskjöld lake. After approximately four hours of trekking towards Los Cuernos Mountain Lodge, we will veer to the north and begin a steep ascent, granting us stunning views of the turquoise southern lakes of Torres del Paine. After about an hour and a half, we will arrive at a wooded area near the Bader stream, offering close-up views of the Eastern Horn (Cuerno Este) and panoramic sights of Mount Balmaceda, Chacabuco Range, Sierra del Toro, and the vibrant Sarmiento, Toro, Nordenskjöld, and Pehoe lakes.

After a nice lunch stop to soak in all the views, we will hike back to Nordenskjöld Lake and make our way once again towards our destination for the evening: Los Cuernos, concluding an unforgettable journey through the rugged beauty of Bader Valley. The perfect place to rest awaits us tonight - cozy cabins set on the mountainside, just beneath the famous Cuernos "horns" and right next to a waterfall.

• Activity: 12 hours of hiking – 22 km/14 miles – elevation gain: 600 m/ 2100 ft
• Meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Cabañas Los Cuernos (2-bed cabins)
• Note: The out & back into Bader Valley is optional

This is a big day, as we set out for the beautiful French Valley. Our route today takes us deep inside the heart of the Paine Massif (the middle of the “W”), on an out and back trail into the Valle Francés (French Valley) and the incredibly impressive Británico viewpoint (weather permitting). In this natural basin ringed by the black slate “horns” of the Cuernos del Paine, we walk beneath the glacier-covered slopes of Cerro Paine Grande (9,364 ft), the highest summit in the range, and take in panoramic vistas of this extraordinary range.

Two different hiking options are available (weather permitting): we can hike to the first plateau and enjoy spectacular views of the Paine Grande west face with its hanging glacier, or we can continue up to the mirador (viewpoint) above Camp Británico—another 3-hour roundtrip hike—for one of the most impressive views of the W! This lookout is considered by many as one of the most incredible spots in the park. At Mirador Británico, you can see Paine Grande, Cerro Hoja, Cerro Máscara, Cerro Catedral, Cerro Aleta de Tiburón, Cuerno Norte, and more.

Before we do the out and back, we will leave our big packs at Italian Camp and only take what we need to complete the trail into French Valley. We will return back to Italian Camp to collect our packs and continue on to our accommodations for the night: Refugio Paine Grande, the biggest refugio on the Circuit, at the shore of the emerald-colored Pehoe Lake.

• Activity: (Option 1: 10 miles hiking, 8 hours, 1,200 ft elevation gain; Option 2: 15 miles, 10-12 hours, 2,500 ft elevation gain)
• Meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Refugio Paine Grande (in 2-6 bed shared dorm)
• Note: The out & back into French Valley is weather-permitting and optional

Today we officially finish the famous W Circuit as we hike from Refugio Paine Grande north towards Grey Lake, getting our first glimpses of the incredible Glacier Grey. We'll descend towards Lago Grey, viewing icebergs from above and the Andes range beyond, eventually arriving to the cozy Refugio Grey, our home for the next two nights. But before we cozy up, we'll get to experience the other-worldly ice hike at Glacier Grey. This entire activity lasts approximately 5 hours. The excursion begins with a short boat ride with our glacier guides towards the glacier. Once ashore near the glacier, we will don our crampons and hike to the ice. This route, which changes each season depending on which access to the ice is best, could be uphill in rocky terrain with medium difficulty. Once on the ice, we will explore the glacier and all its marvelous contours for about an hour and a half. We'll return by the same route back to Refugio Grey for dinner.

• Activity: 4 hours of hiking – 12 km /8 miles – elevation gain: 300 m/ 1000 ft // 5-hour ice hike excursion
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Refugio Grey (in 4-6 bed shared dorm)

In this ideal spot between glaciers, mountains, and forests, we have a day to continue immersing ourselves in the raw and powerful beauty of Glacier Grey. In the morning, we'll suit up for kayaking and hit the waters, navigating icebergs and enjoying views from the bay directly in front of the glacier.

In the afternoon, we'll have an opportunity to hike to two of the suspension bridges high above Glacier Grey,  with some of the most spectacular views of the glacier. This trail is part of the O Circuit and is rarely frequented by W hikers. The bridges and the trail to them are an adventure in themselves!

• Activity: Kayaking 2.5 hours, Hiking to the suspension bridges 4 hours, 7 km/4.5 miles, 1,000 ft elevation gain
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Refugio Grey (in 4-6 bed shared dorm)

On our last morning in the park, we will have the morning to relax and pack up before heading once again to the shores of Lago Grey for our boat. This boat ride gives us the opportunity to see Glacier Grey one last time, to the far reaching tongues of the glacier that few travelers get to experience, before taking us the length of the lake to the shores of Hotel Grey. Upon reaching Grey Beach, we will walk for about 30 minutes to the parking lot where we will reunite with our driver who will take us to the town of Puerto Natales for the night.

• Total travel time: Boat 1.5 hours, Driving 2 hours
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Farewell Dinner optional
• Accommodation: NOI Indigo Patagonia or similar

After breakfast, we will depart the hotel together and drive directly to the PUQ airport in Punta Arenas (or Puerto Natales for anyone departing from PNT) for your onward travels.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Transport: 3 hours to Punta Arenas airport, arriving by noon. (Return/Onward flights can be safely booked from PUQ for 2pm onward). Driving time to Puerto Natales airport (PNT) is 20 minutes.